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Feds Want National Helmet Law

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    Posted by BikerNews November 16, 2010 - Filed in Motorcycle News - 2,141 views

    Feds say all motorcycle riders should wear helmets

    By JOAN LOWY
    The Associated Press
    Tuesday, November 16, 2010; 10:34 AM

    WASHINGTON -- Federal safety officials want states to require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, citing a surge in deaths since the late 1990s.

    The National Transportation Safety Board says motorcycle deaths have increased over the last decade even as other traffic fatalities have declined.

    The board said there were 4,400 motorcycle deaths in the U.S. last year, more than in all aviation, rail, marine and pipeline accidents combined. Head injuries are the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.

    The board said 20 states require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Most states have limited helmet requirements, and three states - Iowa, Illinois and Vermont - have no requirements

    (reprinted from the     Washington Post)

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  • RufCut Just a thunk....Did they even consider the growth in the number of bikes registered since 1990? On top of that, the number of unlicensed, untrained riders? There was huge growth in the sport that didn't level off or start to taper until the last few...  more
  • Lucky Hey now Gary, lets not get carried away... If you outlaw fast food my entire weekend diet would consist of beer!!!!

    Excellent point RufCut, more motorcycles - more motorcycle accidents.
  • wheels Why dont the government require racing harnesses and helmets in cars too! after all won't this cut down on the highway deaths in cars too! There they go again poking their noses into stuff they should leave alone. Get back to work damn it! Whats next...  more
  • Lucky According to a September 11th press release, the NTSB recommended that motorcyclists should be required to not only wear a helmet, but a specific kind of helmet – namely a FMVSS 218 compliant type. These helmets are designed with a hard outer shell, an...  more